Tips for tagging classical rips?

Er, Hamburg... Is there a way to do *what*?

If you are asking whether its possible to tag classical files, it depends on the format the file is in... Some formats (e.g., WAV) have no tags. Others have standardized tags, but the tag definitions vary.

Is there a way to do it? If so how?

You may want to look at a program call Tag & Rename. I use it exclusively and it is Classical-friendly:

http://www.softpointer.com/tr.htm

You can set fields as you wish and do batch editing as well. Little bit of a learning curve but an indespensible utility IMHO. Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the software creator whatsoever.

I just read that Olive's new 'symphony' player is supposed to have software (called 'Playlist') geared toward cataloging classical. (www.olive.us)

It would be interesting to hear from anyone who has seen it in action . . .

Thanks for the comments. I guess I didn't even realize there is a separate "composer" field. Is that standard for tagged audio files, or is that an iTunes specific implementation? Anyone know?

I put the artist in the Artist field and the composer in the Composer field. In the album field, I put both the composer and the name of the work. I use an abbreviated composer name if the name is long (since the full name already is in the Composer field). An example of an Album entry is "Rachmnv:Symphonic Dances op. 45." I do this because I really like iTunes' browser display, but the Browser only shows Genre, Artist, and Album, and I want the albums to be sorted by composer. (This also helps with the way I use my iPod.)

If a record or CD has more than one work on it, each work becomes a separate iTunes album. So, the Naxos CD, Chopin Piano Concertos, No. 1 & 2, becomes two separate albums. I put information identifying the actual record or CD in the Comments field.

When I add classical to iTunes I put the composer and performers in the artist field, the composer in the composer field and the album title in the album field. It allows for the widest variety of playlist sorting.

Thanks Sufentanil... Nobody else ripping classical music?

This is tough, because obviously classical music doesn't always lend itself to the usual tagging mechanisms (especially on compilatin discs). What I've been doing is to put the composer and orchestra both in the artist section.

For instance,

Brahms / London Symphony Orchestra

And for performer I put the soloist or conductor.

For genre, I usually use classical to lump everything (rather than concerto, orchestral, etc).

Newer software like the later versions of MusicMatch offer more tagging options, some of which are more applicable to classical music.

Just be consistent and you'll be able to maximize your organization.

I don't pretend to have the best scheme, but it's been working OK for me so far.

Later,

Michael